I think you're over analysing it.

I don't know about ambulances but I've certainly heard on the radio police cars that are responding to calls at speed shout in in whenever they believe they've activated a speed camera/red light camera etc. Never been in a car etc when any camera has been set off though. They're logged as having happened which makes it easier when the paperwork comes through.

Well, the ANPR cameras in use on the motorways for traffic flow monitoring have always been based on site (group of cameras), rather than individual cameras. I remember that much from my work on the travel time road signs. I'd be surprised if the SPECS cameras didn't use the same technology.

We noticed our first set of SPECS cameras recently on the A1 near the Angel of the North, apparently they've been installed to enforce a 40MPH limit through a contraflow that will be in operation while a bridge is rebuilt, there's no mention if the cameras will stay once the roadworks are complete. Personally I'd like to see them reused between junctions 62 and 63; it's a 5 mile stretch with no exits and routinely has people doing a ton. Maybe it's just me, but I hate speeders.

I ride a motorbike in Canada - yesterday coming back from a ride, heading South in a 60km/h stretch, into a 50km/h more residential stretch, I was doing 65, so slowed to about 55, so the car that was behind me moved out into the "slow" lane and started accelerating. Now this was pointless, because although my bike probably has a lower top speed than the car, in a residential section you'd be an idiot to go there and it can accelerate fast.

As it tried to pass me I just opened up the throttle and prevented it from getting ahead. After a bit it slowed down again and so did I. Not much further up the road from there I've seen police step out in front of (or at least right next to) vehicles with a second cop with a speed gun and I just have no interest in getting into any trouble with the law.

At least on the highway, the speed limit is 100 and the bike won't do much more than 120 (with a lot of people doing a lot more than that, so my chances of getting pulled over for speeding on the highway are slim).

is that 100kph? seems remarkably slow (62mph)

It is 100km/h, yes. For doing 150km/h (93mph) you can get an instant roadside impounding of your vehicle, loss of licence and $10,000 (£5,000)fine.

Wow, really?

 

Crazy!

How oten it happen, I don't know, but there are big signs on the highway reminding you every now and then. There are also signs that say "aircraft patrolled" in lots of places, but not many speed cameras - mostly just red light cameras.

Some bloke got caught here the other day doing 219km/h (136mph) in a 90km/h (55mph) zone. His car got impounded for a week, but apparently he's kept his licence until the court case in September. Mind you, he's facing his car being scrapped and dangerous driving charges when it does get to court.

"aircraft patrolled" ??? ffs, that must be cost effective (not)

Given that there are long stretches of highway with nothing around (i mean hundreds of km), aircraft is probably more cost effective.

They have a similar approach in Australia.

Makes sense there too!

if there are 100s of km with no-one else around why does it matter if someone is speeding?
and, by cost effective, I was wondering about the cost of maintaining the aircraft, pilot etc against the revenue it generates

What's with the name and folder change? :S

Because it's against the law, because there are other drivers on the road who might be endangered, because in some areas you could end up smashing into something like a moose (which can kill you even at much lower speeds), in the winter, road conditions aren't optimal, etc.

Ontario government press release from 2007 about expanding the OPP air patrol.

Also found this blog report for air patrol results for May 31 of this year - over an 11km stretch of highway.

Also, it's not constant surveillance. The province doesn't have that many planes. This article says it costs about $125/hour to run one of the planes.

Do they? That would explain why all the road train drivers are stoned off their faces. Must be quite difficult to tell from altitude.

I find it highly amusing that they used a plane to nick some poor sod for failing to stop at a stop sign

(it may help if I mention that I do not have a high opinion of the police)

I was wondering that too...

:Y